Lens-sign.



1,1 16,831 Patented Nov. 10, 1914;

.1 lI/IlllllIllllIIIIIllllllflllllllllnlfllallllllllllflfllllllll 11 1 1I 1 1! NITED s rntrns PAT N omnon I LOUIS J. MEYERS, OF CANTON, OHIO,ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND,MES1\TE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO CHARLES VIGNOS, OFCANTON, OHIO. i

LENS-SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 10 1914 Application filedSeptember 18, 1 913. SerialNo. 790,546.

monly employed and while said lenses may be made of various translucentmaterial, they are commonly made of glass.

More specifically my invention relates to a sign of the characterdescribedprovided with a sheet metal front having lens apertures andglass lenses and to the means for fastening said lenses to' said front.

1 The objectsof the invention are to generally improve constructions ofthe character mentioned, to provide a fastening means for said lenseswhich will be certain in operation and will prevent the lenses from becoming loose or unintentionally separated from the sign front, toprevent the rattling of said lenses after the same are connected to thesign front and to provide for the confragmentary plan view of a portionof the sign front provided with a sign aperture in accordance with myinvention. is a sectional view on the line 33, Fig. 2. Fig. at is afront elevation of a lens made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line66, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a view of a lens of my invented constructionarranged in the sign front and one of the lugs and one of the lugs inposition to lock the retaining tang. Fig. 8 is a similar view showingthe other lug in position for unlocking the retaining tang.

Throughout the several views similar reference numerals indicate similarparts.

Referring particularly to Fig. l the numeral lindicates the back, thenumeral 2 the top and the numeral 3 the bottom of the sign. ,Preferablyconnected to the back 1 are the electric lamps 4: and connected at theforward edges of the top and bottom 2. and 3 is the sheet'metal signfront 5 provided with apertures 6 for the reception of the translucentlenses 7. Said apertures and lenses are arranged in appropriate relativepositions to form any desired word or sym-.

bol as will be well understood.

C More specifically referring to the particular construction embodyingmy invention it will be noted that each aperture 6 is sub-ov stantiallyround and the margin of said aperture, preferably at the bottom portionthereof is provided with a retaining tang 8 the inner margin of which iscontinuous with the margin of the aperture 6 and the outer margin 9 ofwhich is preferably 0on centric with the innei margin. The said tang 8is provided with a free end 10 and at 11 is continuous with the signfront, the free end 10 being bent inwardly from the plane of the front 5and preferably extending in clockwise direction as viewed fromthe frontof the same.

The lens 7 is provided with a convex bullseye front portion 13 and withan integral cylindrical shank portion 1 1. The shank 1 1 is ofconsiderably less diameter than the greatest diameter of the bulls-eyeportion, thus forming an annular shoulder 15 adapted to engage the frontsurface of the sign front 5,,around'tha margin of the aperture 6.

Formed integrally with the shank portion ltare two diametricallyopposite lugs 16 and 17. Said lugs do not extend into engagement withthe shoulder 15 but are spaced therefrom' a distance substantially equalto the thickness of the front 5. The lug 16 on the outer face, adjacentthe shoulder 15 is provided with the curved tang engaging surface 18whereas the lug 17 on the inner side away from the shoulder 15 isprovided with the curved tang engaging surface 19. As viewed from thefront or bulls-eye side of the lens the curved surface 18 is clockwardlydirected whereas the curved tang engaging surface 19 iscontra-clockwardly directed.

In attaching a lens of the character described to the lens front the lug16 is entered into the aperture (3 on the side thereof opposite the tang8 and the lens upwardly moved until the shank 14 engages the curved edgeof the aperture 6 with the lug 16 lying back of the front 5. The lug 17may then be entered into the notch formed by the tang 8 by atiltingimovement of the lens to bring the shoulder 15 into fiatengagement with the face of the sign front 5 entirely around theaperture '6; By a clockwise rotation of the lens, when in this position,the curved edge 18 will be brought into engagement with the tang 8 ,asillustrated in Fig. 7 and by further continuing the rotation the lug 8will be bent down substantially into the plane of the sign front 5. Itis preferable to then continue the rotation of the lens in clockwisedirection until the flat outer surface 20 of the lug 17 is brought overthe tang 8. It will be understood that by reason of the resiliency ofthe metal, the said tang will have a tendency to spring backward,slightly from the plane of the front 5 and engagement with the flatunder surface 20 of the lug 17 will prevent any looseness or rattling ofthe lens in the aperture 6. It will be obvious however that the lug 16may be permitted to overlie the tang 8 and will, to a large extentaccomplish the same result, except that the surface 20 is of somewhatgreater extent than the inner surface of the lug 16. When it is desiredto remove a lens so'connected the lens should be rotated incontra-olockwise direction, which will bring the lug 17 into engagementwith the free end 1010f the tang 8. The said end 10, by further rotationof the lens in contra-clockwise direction, will be caused to ride up thecurved surface 19 thus bending the tang 8 backwardly and permitting thelug 17 to be removed frontwardly through the notch produ'ced by thedisplacement of the tang 8;

For, the purpose of providing means for conveniently rotating the lens12 wrench sockets 21 may be provided in the bullseye portion of the lensto receive a wrench as will be well understood from an inspection oft'hedrawings. VV-hile I have shown said sockets as formed by twodiametricallyop posite holes extending into the body of the ulls-eyeportion near the margin thereof it is evident that instead of sockets,outwardly projecting lugs might be provided, or the edge of thebulls-eye may be formed with parallel flattened surfaces adapted forengagement with the jaws of a wrench.

Although the above description in connection with the drawings,discloses the best mode in which I have contemplated embodying myinvention, I do not desire to be limited to the details of constructionthus disclosed, for many changes may be made as circumstances require orexperience suggests without departing from the spirit of the inventionwithin the scope of the appended claims. a

I claim 1. A lens sign comprising a sheet metal front provided with asubstantially circular lens aperture and an integral tang formed at themargin of said aperture and having a free end extending inwardly fromthe plane of said sign front, and a lens having a shank of a size to bea turning'fit for said aperture and provided with a lug adapted toengage said tang and, by rotation of said lens, adapted to bend saidtang into the plane of said front.

2. A lens sign comprising a sheet metal front provided with asubstantially circular lens aperture and an integral'tang formed at themargin of said aperture and having a free end extending inwardly fromthe plane of said sign front, and a lens having a shank of a size to bea turning fit for said aperture and provided with a lug adapted toengage said tang and, by rotation of said lens, adapted to bend saidtang into the plane of said front, and a second lug adapted to engagesaid'tang when said lens is rotated in the opposite direction tobendsaid tang out of the plane ofsaid front.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

. LOUIS J. MEYERS.

Witnesses:

SYLVIA BoRoN, WTLLIAM H. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fiv e voents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patent; Washington, I). G.

